Buying Flowers
by SilentSnowfall
Summary: Shikamaru hated doing this. It should be a simple task for a man to do for his girlfriend, but with Ino, it was much more complicated. He just couldn’t find an easy, stress-free way to buy her flowers.


**Well, here is my second story I have written. I came up with this idea before the other one, but wrote it second because I had a harder time with it. **

**Disclaimer: Naruto is not mine.**

He stood on top of a building, surveying the Yamanaka flower shop from above as he tried to come up with another solution than his usual plan. It was ridiculous at how much thought and effort this task cost.

Shikamaru envied all the other men who had girlfriends that didn't have a family who owned a flower store. They never had to stake-out a flower shop from a rooftop before entering.

The wind ruffled his hair as he continued to stand, looking down across the street at the store. There were other flower shops in the village he could go to, but he didn't want to risk it. The last time he had bought Ino flowers from another store, she had completely ignored the offering and berated him for giving "the competition" (as she put it) his business. She had refused to talk to him after that, but quickly forgot her anger after he had bought her a gift from the Yamanaka store.

In the spring and summer he usually would pick flowers from a field so that he could avoid the store altogether. Picking them took some work, but it was still easier than having to study a building for half an hour. Once the flower season ended, however, he had to surrender himself to his usual tactics.

_If I only knew who was working here today, I could get this over with quickly_. Shikamaru thought as he jumped to another rooftop in hopes of a better view. He had learned that it was expected of him to occasionally buy his girlfriend flowers, even if she had been working around them since childhood. He had thought that she would be sick of them and therefore didn't get her any, until she not-so-discreetly hinted that he should.

Shikamaru loved Ino, and he didn't understand why he should have to continually prove this with flowers and gifts. But, it was because of that emotion that he was doing this today, right? He sighed as he resigned himself to go for it, or else spend the rest of the day crouching on a rooftop staring at a store. He really hoped it wasn't Ino's father working today. That was always the worst. Even though the man was a ninja, he always gave time to managing the store and helping out.

Before Shikamaru had developed a good system for flower buying, he had gone in there when Ino's father was working. After he had chosen the flowers and brought them to the counter, he had to quietly endure the glares issued to him from Inoichi. It was obvious that he was very protective of his daughter, even though he did approve of Shikamaru.

Only one other time did Shikamaru buy flowers when Inoichi was working. It had been after a very large argument that he had had with Ino which resulted in a break up. After almost a week, Shikamaru decided that he couldn't successfully live without Ino, and went to get her apology flowers (even though he was still convinced that the fight was not his fault to begin with).

As soon as he had walked in the door, however, he regretted his decision to not check who was working. Inoichi was standing behind the counter looking at Shikamaru with disdain. News had obviously reached his ears about the fight. Shikamaru thought for a second if he should just come up with a lie about his father needing to see Inoichi, so that he could come back and get flowers later without having to stand the glares. It was crucial to get the flowers today so that he could apologize before even _more_ time went by, so he decided against the lie.

All the while it took Shikamaru to pick out the flowers, Inoichi watched him, waiting for the boy to slip up and choose a flower Ino was sure to dislike or to give off any bad intentions. He never did, and he was able to make it to the counter with exactly the right flowers and expression.

As the flowers were being wrapped, Shikamaru wondered if Inoichi would tell Ino before he was able to find her to apologize. He was so caught about it, that he almost asked him not to mention anything to Ino. As if Inoichi could read his mind **(A/N: He probably could…..)**, he said "I won't tell her right away, so make it quick." Shikamaru nodded in thanks and left, feeling very glad to have that uncomfortable shopping experience behind him.

Shikamaru had decided that if he ever saw Inoichi working, that was not the day to buy flowers. Needless to say he also could never buy flowers when Ino was working, unless he had a legitimate cover story, which he hardly ever did.

Going into the store was also a risk when Ino's mother was there. Shikamaru had learned in the many years he had known Ino's family, that her mother had a hard time keeping secrets. It was safe to say that if Shikamaru had been seen buying flowers, Ino's mother would tell Ino before he could even get the present to her.

It had taken a few times of a ruined surprise before Shikamaru had figured out what Ino's mom was doing. Though sometimes, if he asked, he could sway her mother from blabbing, for a bit.

Shikamaru had quickly developed a system in order to buy flowers. He would casually walk by the store and glance in to see who was working. If Ino or her father was there, he would keep walking and abandon the plan altogether and try again at a different time. If Ino's mother was working, he would only turn around and go in if getting flowers was an emergency. The times he figured he would be relatively safe was when there was a hired hand at the store.

The people the Yamanaka's hired could generally be trusted to keep from telling Ino anything about Shikamaru being in the shop, so he capitalized on the opportunity of them working and oftentimes bought flowers then.

Shikamaru sighed as he took one last look at the store, and jumped down onto the street below. After a moment's hesitation, Shikamaru proceeded to walk by the store. He took a fleeting look into the store and was relieved to see a hired hand. He always felt awkward about having to walk past first, especially if the person inside saw him turn around and come in.

Once he was in the store, he had to make his purchase quickly in case one of her family members walked in to check on things. He hadn't been found out that way yet, but he was sure it was bound to happen.

He looked around until he found some flowers he thought looked nice enough, and brought them to the counter. The woman in charge of the cashier smiled knowingly as she wrapped the bouquet and said that Ino would like it. Shikamaru sighed and paid, then walked out, the cashier still grinning.

Back on the street, he commenced to jump back onto the rooftops and make his way home. He had realized that walking the street with flowers was another way to come into contact with Ino's family, so he avoided it after a trip to the flower store.

He wished there was another way to buy Ino flowers that didn't involve the extraordinary lengths he took in order to keep it a surprise. But then again, where was the fun in having it be so easy?

Even though the simple task took too much time and energy, Shikamaru decided that the look on Ino's face when she caught sight of the flowers was always worth the challenge it took to obtain them.

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**All done! I hope that went alright! After I got past the main points I wanted to put, I had a hard time tying it together and bringing it to an end. Sorry about the A/N in the middle of it. Sometimes those can get annoying, but I just _had_ to add it. **

**Hmm, it seems like all I can write are ShikaxIno. I'll have to get a move on in order to cover some of my other favorite pairings! Hahaha!**

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